A photography exhibition focusing on a former Leytonstone bishop is now open By Alice Kemp-Habib
Herbert Cato, former presiding bishop of City Mission Church in Leytonstone (credit: Holly-Marie Cato)
On 6th August 2011, Holly-Marie Cato was snapping photographs at The Palace Cathedral in Tottenham, as congregants prepared to stage an apocalypse-themed play. As an architecture student home for the summer holidays, she was no professional but, with time and a point-and-shoot at her disposal, she had agreed to help out.
However, while actors busied about backstage, crowds were gathering outside the police station on the opposite side of the road. They were enraged at the death of Mark Duggan, a Black british man shot dead by the police only two days before.
“Intermittently I kept going outside with my camera. It went from 25 people, to 50 people, to the High Road being shut down,” says Holly-Marie, “Eventually, 500 people filed into the theatre to watch a play about chaos and the end of the world, and outside was the start of the [2011] riots.”
(Credit: Holly Marie-Cato)
The cathedral doors were locked to protect those inside so Holly-Marie climbed into a roof-top room, where she filmed “molotov cocktails being thrown and buildings being set alight” from the window. Her footage was picked up by news outlets around the world, laying the groundwork for a photography and film career that has seen her work with countless big-name brands (including Nike, American Express and Apple).
Nearly a decade on from The Palace Cathedral lock-in, Holly-Marie is returning to church with her debut solo exhibition – Heavy is the Mantle – following her uncle Herbert Cato in his final days as presiding bishop of City Mission Church in Leytonstone.
The exhibition, which opened on 1st October at Leica Gallery in Mayfair as Black History Month began, is dually intimate and exuberant, exploring Christianity in the Caribbean community and the immense responsibility shouldered by church leaders.
(Credit: Holly Marie-Cato)
“So many times when we think about Black History Month, we think about America and the civil rights movement, when there are people here who are making history everyday,” says Holly-Marie, “That church has been standing there for longer than I’ve been alive. They are a staple in the community.”
Heavy is the Mantle comes as part of a wider Black History Month programme at the gallery, curated by Holly-Marie, who is its first Black, female ambassador. Throughout October, there will be a series of talks from pioneering photographers, including Charlie Phillips, Eddie Otchere and Simon Frederick. Holly-Marie and Leica are also offering in-person portfolio reviews for 15 photographers, one of whom will receive a £5,000 grant to continue their work in the field of photography (while two runners up will receive £2,500).
(Credit: Holly Marie-Cato)
Alongside the Leica exhibition, Holly-Marie recently led a seven-day course for aspiring Black photographers in response to the Southbank Centre’s show In The Black Fantastic. The resulting images are now on display on level two of the blue side foyer in the Royal Festival Hall.
“I think it is important to champion Black artists because we’ve always had narratives told about us. There’s something revolutionary about us being able to tell our own stories,” she says, “So, in everything I do, I try to open doors to more diverse voices and perspectives.
“The glass ceiling isn’t broken if I’m the only one going through it, and I’m really about breaking the glass ceiling.”
Heavy is the Mantle is open at Leica Gallery until 1st November – find out more here.
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